An off-duty RCMP officer was punched and kicked by three drunken men at a Richmond drive-thru, police announced yesterday.

The officer was not seriously injured during the Dec. 9 altercation, which developed after he spotted three men "harassing" a woman at the McDonald’s on the corner of No. 2 and Blundell roads.

The officer approached the men at about 2:20 a.m. and identified himself by producing his badge. The men reacted by becoming verbally abusive, prompting the officer to return to his vehicle and call Richmond RCMP. That’s when one of the drunken men "lunged at him," Cpl. Nycki Basra said.

The alleged assailant’s companions joined in, punching and kicking the officer, before police arrived and arrested all three.